Snag is a village located on a small, dry-weather sideroad off the Alaska Highway 25 kilometres (16 mi) east of Beaver Creek, Yukon, Canada. The village of Snag is located in a bowl-shaped valley of the White River and its tributaries, including Snag Creek. It was first settled during the Klondike Gold Rush. An aboriginal village was also located about 8 kilometres (5 mi) away. It was the site of a military airfield, established as part of the Northwest Staging Route, which closed in 1968. In 1947, the village of Snag boasted a population of 8 to 10 First Nation people and fur traders. An additional staff of 15 to 20 airport personnel — meteorologists, radio operators, aircraft maintenance men — lived at the airport barracks.

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On February 3, 1947, the record-low temperature for continental North America was recorded in Snag: −63.0 °C (−81.4 °F).[1] That same winter, two previous records had already been set: one in December noted various phenomena, particularly sound such as voices being heard clearly miles from their source. There was a clear sky (except for some ice fog), and mild to little wind. There were 38.1 centimetres (15.0 in) of snow on the ground, but it was decreasing. Another town 180 km (112 mi) northeast of Snag, Fort Selkirk, claimed an even lower temperature of −65 °C (−85 °F), but the claim could not be confirmed.[2]

On 26 January 1950, a USAFDouglas C-54 Skymaster (registration 42-72469) with 36 passengers (34 service personnel and 2 civilians) and a crew of 8 disappeared on a flight from Alaska to Montana; no wreckage or remains have ever been located.[4][5]

The aircraft was in the vicinity of Snag when the last contact was made by radio at 17:09.[5]